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Topic: What can I do about neighbor's many cats? (Read 2748 times)

The lady living in the house next to my rental house has approximately 15-20 cats (possibly more). When I bought the house, she had about 6. I have tenants in place now but I doubt they'll renew (students, there several years, close to graduating) so I'd like it not to look like a crazy cat hoarder lives next door when I go to show it.

Browsing city pages, I see no ordinances about maximum animal ownership. Do you think there are any city departments I can complain to? There's no HOA.

Regardless of anything else, your neighbor has to keep their animals on their own property. Put a live trap on your property and start hauling them to the shelter. Shouldn't take long to get a bunch of them.

Call animal control. This person might be a cat hoarder and cats breed quickly and have semi large litters. Then those kittens have kittens. It is a very bad thing. A friend of mine had this situation and some organization that deals with cats or maybe cats and dogs captured the cats in animal friendly traps then took them somewhere and neutered them all. The organization brought them back. They are basically wild cats but can no longer breed and produce kittens.

Hoarders donít usually have cats that look well fed. If they arenít causing you any problems why report her. They will probably be killed if you turn her in. I doubt a renter would notice unless her yard is disgusting.

Hoarders donít usually have cats that look well fed. If they arenít causing you any problems why report her. They will probably be killed if you turn her in. I doubt a renter would notice unless her yard is disgusting.

Hoarders donít usually have cats that look well fed. If they arenít causing you any problems why report her. They will probably be killed if you turn her in. I doubt a renter would notice unless her yard is disgusting.

Yeah, this is what I'm afraid of. She had about 6 two years ago and now there are at least 20.

Cassie, just because they are not starving (yet), doesn't mean she is taking them all to the vet and providing adequate care. None of them are fat but none are super thin either. They are probably not being spayed and neutered and over-population is a big issue in NC for both cats and dogs.

YttriumNitrate, it is very obvious she has a large number of cats. They are all over her yard (and also mine, yes), on the roof, on her car, everywhere. That is how I know she has at least 15 - it is probably many more, as I only counted those I saw in her front yard the last time I was there.

When I was in grad school, I rented an apartment next to a cat hoarder. I didn't even notice until the summer time when I kept my windows open more and could see the cats in her yard. It didn't bother me at all - I didn't have a yard or anything that the cats would or could get in to and ruin. I had a dog at the time who probably enjoyed watching the cats! So, my advice is do nothing unless you find that your ability to rent the unit is negatively affected.

I think you should look in your area for a cat rescue agency. If you can't find one, call some Vet's offices to see if they have names. If that doesn't pan out, call animal control. Maybe they could make a goodwill visit and question the owner on her ownership of all the cats and if they have been to the Vet for shots and stuff. This is not a stick your head in the sand situation. If the goodwill visit proves the cats are neutered and well taken care of then no issues as long as by law a person is allowed to own so many pets.

Most places have a low ratio of animals allowed so a goodwill visit will end up with the cats getting taken away. I volunteer at our local humane society so I know itís a tough call on what is the right thing to do. If they arenít fixed yes it cannot go on. A cat rescue would be much better than animal control. I just feel bad for the cats.

Regardless of anything else, your neighbor has to keep their animals on their own property. Put a live trap on your property and start hauling them to the shelter. Shouldn't take long to get a bunch of them.

The question is whether you want to do something about the cats because you feel bad for the cats/bad for the hoarder or whether you want to do something about the cats because you think that it negatively impacts your rental ability/price.

Like I mentioned before, in my experience, something like that would likely not register with a renter when they're looking at the space. They probably won't notice, just like I didn't notice, because I was more focused on the condition of the place I was going to live in and how much it was going to cost me.

The question is whether you want to do something about the cats because you feel bad for the cats/bad for the hoarder or whether you want to do something about the cats because you think that it negatively impacts your rental ability/price.

Like I mentioned before, in my experience, something like that would likely not register with a renter when they're looking at the space. They probably won't notice, just like I didn't notice, because I was more focused on the condition of the place I was going to live in and how much it was going to cost me.

Have you ever shown a house to a potential tenant? They notice a lot. Not everyone will notice the same things but trust me when I say these cats are very noticeable at this point. My current tenants have brought it up (and they are not complainers) and I recently had a company out for some work and they mentioned it also, not in a bad way but like "wow, that lady has a lot of cats." kind of way.

I am both concerned for the cats but also for the quality of the neighborhood where my property is. The cats cannot be allowed to continue breeding unchecked as we already have animal overpopulation issues here but also, I don't want the cats next to my house either. It was fine when she had 5-6 but now it's out of control.

Those who suggested contacting a cat rescue - I'm happy to do this but what will they be able to do? They can't go there and just start picking up these cats, can they? I am an animal lover myself (2 cats + a dog currently) so I don't want the cats to end up in a shelter but they need to not be roaming wildly either.

I did call animal control and they said there is no maximum number of cats someone can have however, she did ask if they were roaming outside and when I said yes she told me they would send someone out. I don't know if cats aren't allowed loose outside in this particular cities but I know in some other cities in my area they are not (leash laws - cats can be outside but must be on a leash, like dogs).

Just a quick story. A friend bought a house in a neighborhood that was overrun with feral cats. She had them spayed, one by one. Now the population is under control and the cats are fat and sassy. She and her neighbors feed them, so they're healthy, but not reproducing.

Not suggesting you neuter your neighbor's cats without her permission, just putting this story out there. Your local cat rescue group is likely to be the most helpful source.

Finally, have you spoken directly to your neighbor cat-lover-to-cat-lover? She may not be pleased with the way they are taking over her life either.

Call Animal Control back and ask if there are any low cost or free TNR or spay/neuter programs in your city. If there are, call them to see what groups are active in TNR. Then call those folks to see if they can help If your AC won't help. look on Facebook and Nextdoor to see if there are groups active in your area.

In many jurisdictions, you can trap cats that are on your property. In the City of San Jose, you can trap and drop them off at the shelter with the return address of the cat. They will alter and vaccinate the cat and a volunteer will return it. Ten cats? No problem. Grant money is available for AC organizations in many areas to do this.

I guess me point is cats rapidly change from cuddly pet to feral bird murderers in very short order.

All the cats I see in my yard I know. If we starting having a problem with wild ones I would probably bust out the weak pellet gun to let them no they were not welcome.

Not sure that I could kill one.

My neighborhood is full of security cameras...

As I previously said, birds are low on the food chain and have many predators. Egg robbing from nests by predators is another problem. And cats apparently eat many more insects, lizards, and rodents than birds, according to a study of the content of outdoor cat stomachs.

Get a coyote. A neighbor at house we rented a few years ago had two cats that roamed about. A few times I chased them out of our back yard and complained to her. A few weeks later they disappeared and she came over to ask if I had seen them (with an undercurrent of did I get rid of them). Pretty sure it was coyotes since I'd seen one on the street a few blocks away and a few more in the surrounding mile. The neighborhood was right on the edge of the desert so they had easy access.

I know unneutered cats are a problem, but lots of cats roaming around has never bothered me. I think they are great! Of course, if their living situation (food, litter box, etc) is not good, of course that is a problem. But, I've always found cats to be pretty self sufficient, and not bothersome. I know it's personal, but I'd have no problem renting a house next to someone with a lot of any animal, it has nothing to do with the condition of the house I'm renting, and having cats in the yard just isn't that big of a deal (to me, personally).

I'd rather my neighbor have 10 cats than one barking dog. Fortunately, the neighbor across the street has a quiet dog - I don't recall ever hearing it bark. But two houses down, a big dog barks quite loudly from time to time - like when it sees or hears anything move outside. The few cats I see have never bothered me.

Regardless of anything else, your neighbor has to keep their animals on their own property. Put a live trap on your property and start hauling them to the shelter. Shouldn't take long to get a bunch of them.

Local laws vary wildly. In mine, there is zero control required for cats.

Everyone has neighborhood issues. I have a neighbor with a 23ish age kid who drags home cars, chops them up and sells the parts. It is a constant horror show of his diesel truck running for hours, Sawzall's, power equipment noises and the kid even has a fork lift over there. He makes so much racket and has tons of vehicles that are not registered or insured over there. We are close neighbors and don't want to rock the boat but this kid is pissing me off! The father of this kid has been a friend since before this kid was born. We just don't get it that the father allows this jerk head kid to do this crap. GRRRRRRRRR!!!

My neighbors cats are in my yard frequently. Why anyone cares I donít know. They arenít afraid of my little dogs but run when they see the big guy.

When a toddler starts digging up buried cat poop when they're playing in their sand box, you might care about a neighbor's cat roaming wild. Your neighbors dog might poop on your front lawn or the sidewalk but they're generally not going to get into the backyard to do it.

My neighbors cats are in my yard frequently. Why anyone cares I donít know. They arenít afraid of my little dogs but run when they see the big guy.

When a toddler starts digging up buried cat poop when they're playing in their sand box, you might care about a neighbor's cat roaming wild. Your neighbors dog might poop on your front lawn or the sidewalk but they're generally not going to get into the backyard to do it.

I had a neighbor's dog kill one of my family's cats in our backyard, soooo...

I didnít say I thought it was okay for dogs to run free but cats are different. Years ago our neighbors would let their dog out to shit in our front yard. I spoke to them but it didnít stop so I got a shovel and put it on their steps. Then it stopped.

Everyone has neighborhood issues. I have a neighbor with a 23ish age kid who drags home cars, chops them up and sells the parts. It is a constant horror show of his diesel truck running for hours, Sawzall's, power equipment noises and the kid even has a fork lift over there. He makes so much racket and has tons of vehicles that are not registered or insured over there. We are close neighbors and don't want to rock the boat but this kid is pissing me off! The father of this kid has been a friend since before this kid was born. We just don't get it that the father allows this jerk head kid to do this crap. GRRRRRRRRR!!!

You see this as a problem....?

I used to do this......but our house is in the woods, 1000 feet through the woods to anyone. For anyone to see the cars, they'd have to be trespassing.

Everyone has neighborhood issues. I have a neighbor with a 23ish age kid who drags home cars, chops them up and sells the parts. It is a constant horror show of his diesel truck running for hours, Sawzall's, power equipment noises and the kid even has a fork lift over there. He makes so much racket and has tons of vehicles that are not registered or insured over there. We are close neighbors and don't want to rock the boat but this kid is pissing me off! The father of this kid has been a friend since before this kid was born. We just don't get it that the father allows this jerk head kid to do this crap. GRRRRRRRRR!!!

If they are not being driven on public roads, that bolded section there is wholly irrelevant (plus, I'd bet you a cookie that you don't actually know the registration or insurance status of his vehicles).

Everyone has neighborhood issues. I have a neighbor with a 23ish age kid who drags home cars, chops them up and sells the parts. It is a constant horror show of his diesel truck running for hours, Sawzall's, power equipment noises and the kid even has a fork lift over there. He makes so much racket and has tons of vehicles that are not registered or insured over there. We are close neighbors and don't want to rock the boat but this kid is pissing me off! The father of this kid has been a friend since before this kid was born. We just don't get it that the father allows this jerk head kid to do this crap. GRRRRRRRRR!!!

You see this as a problem....?

Yes, I see this as a problem considering it is a residential neighborhood and not commercial to do this kind of work. The noise he makes is obnoxious and I have to listen to it all day long in my house that I paid for. The kid is just a little bum who is doing this work on his daddy's property. He didn't pay one red cent to buy the land or the house he lives in and his father told us he can't get one red cent out of this kid for bills.

If they are not being driven on public roads, that bolded section there is wholly irrelevant (plus, I'd bet you a cookie that you don't actually know the registration or insurance status of his vehicles).

JLee you don't get it. I live in a residential neighborhood. This is not allowed by law. He has a bunch of junk ass vehicles over on his father's land. I am sure the vehicles are not registered. They all get hauled in on trailers or tow truck and get chopped up. I have to listen to this noise all day long and sometimes into the night. The kid will set up flood lights and work all night long at times.

If the kid had a building in a commercial part of town I would be happy for him. He could make a million dollars for all I care. But, If I want to sell my house one day and this jerk head kid is making a racket and his junky cars are all over the place, I am sure I will have a problem. At that point, I will have to do something but in the meantime I keep my trap shut and deal with it. I keep hoping this kid will grow up and move out of his father's house but that is very doubtful when he lives there for free and his father goes to work every day.

JLee you don't get it. I live in a residential neighborhood. This is not allowed by law. He has a bunch of junk ass vehicles over on his father's land. I am sure the vehicles are not registered. They all get hauled in on trailers or tow truck and get chopped up. I have to listen to this noise all day long and sometimes into the night. The kid will set up flood lights and work all night long at times.

If the kid had a building in a commercial part of town I would be happy for him. He could make a million dollars for all I care. But, If I want to sell my house one day and this jerk head kid is making a racket and his junky cars are all over the place, I am sure I will have a problem. At that point, I will have to do something but in the meantime I keep my trap shut and deal with it. I keep hoping this kid will grow up and move out of his father's house but that is very doubtful when he lives there for free and his father goes to work every day.

Then make legitimate complaints. Nobody gives a shit if a parts car is unregistered or uninsured. It only matters if it's being driven.

Then make legitimate complaints. Nobody gives a shit if a parts car is unregistered or uninsured. It only matters if it's being driven.

Many (maybe most or all?) cities and towns have regulations on inoperable vehicles, including strict limits on how many can be present at a time. It's often zero. My town does not let you have any inoperable vehicles present on your property except in an enclosed garage. You're also not allowed to park any vehicles on an unimproved surface like a yard or dirt area.

Regardless of anything else, your neighbor has to keep their animals on their own property. Put a live trap on your property and start hauling them to the shelter. Shouldn't take long to get a bunch of them.

Local laws vary wildly. In mine, there is zero control required for cats.

Same here. We have a mouser that we keep around to control the chipmunk population. He wanders the neighborhood, but always knows where to get food and shelter when it's cold. And he brings us lots of....presents. He either really loves us or thinks we're really lousy hunters. I'm not sure which it is.

I had a neighbor kind of like this. She fed a bunch of "strays" and when questioned by AC her answer was always that she "only had two cats." AC would try to catch the ones that she didn't claim, but only made a small dent. It's gotten better since she moved, or rather since the new owners of her old house threatened to have her tresspassed if she kept coming back to feed all of the cats. I've caught, and rehomed, a litter of kittens. My MIL pseudo-adopted a couple of older cats. She, and probably three other neighbors judging by some of them's girth, feed them and she's had the females spayed. I wish I could say that she's trying to do good for the overall neighborhood, but she just doesn't want one giving birth at her house, hence the only taking care of half the equation.

Then make legitimate complaints. Nobody gives a shit if a parts car is unregistered or uninsured. It only matters if it's being driven.

Many (maybe most or all?) cities and towns have regulations on inoperable vehicles, including strict limits on how many can be present at a time. It's often zero. My town does not let you have any inoperable vehicles present on your property except in an enclosed garage. You're also not allowed to park any vehicles on an unimproved surface like a yard or dirt area.

In which case, their registration or insurance status would not be relevant. "My town has laws against inoperable vehicles" is different than "these (inoperable, hence causing zero liability to other motorists) cars aren't even insured."

If the town has rules against it, then by all means it's a valid complaint. I'm merely pointing out that, generally speaking, vehicles are not legally required to be registered or insured unless they're being driven on public roads. Arizona, for example, has a specific form you can fill out to de-insure a registered vehicle. You can also renew a lapsed registration penalty-free if the vehicle has not been operated on public roads.

In which case, their registration or insurance status would not be relevant. "My town has laws against inoperable vehicles" is different than "these (inoperable, hence causing zero liability to other motorists) cars aren't even insured."

If the town has rules against it, then by all means it's a valid complaint. I'm merely pointing out that, generally speaking, vehicles are not legally required to be registered or insured unless they're being driven on public roads. Arizona, for example, has a specific form you can fill out to de-insure a registered vehicle. You can also renew a lapsed registration penalty-free if the vehicle has not been operated on public roads.

As always, laws vary by jurisdiction.

Being unregistered is by definition inoperable. Meaning, if you have a 100% functional vehicle but it is unregistered, it is considered inoperable in my city. You can not have any unregistered vehicles stored other than in a fully enclosed garage. That is true of many cities. The more lenient cities often have a very low limit, like one. And since the vehicle must be registered to be stored outside a garage, it also must be insured.

In which case, their registration or insurance status would not be relevant. "My town has laws against inoperable vehicles" is different than "these (inoperable, hence causing zero liability to other motorists) cars aren't even insured."

If the town has rules against it, then by all means it's a valid complaint. I'm merely pointing out that, generally speaking, vehicles are not legally required to be registered or insured unless they're being driven on public roads. Arizona, for example, has a specific form you can fill out to de-insure a registered vehicle. You can also renew a lapsed registration penalty-free if the vehicle has not been operated on public roads.

As always, laws vary by jurisdiction.

Being unregistered is by definition inoperable. Meaning, if you have a 100% functional vehicle but it is unregistered, it is considered inoperable in my city. You can not have any unregistered vehicles stored other than in a fully enclosed garage. That is true of many cities. The more lenient cities often have a very low limit, like one. And since the vehicle must be registered to be stored outside a garage, it also must be insured.

So what you're saying is that your rental will never have a mouse/rodent problem.

How exactly would a person looking at your house know there are are 15-20 cats living the house next door?

Going out on a limb here - and I don't mean to be curt - but I'm guessing you haven't lived in a neighbourhood with a crazy cat person. If there are close to 20 cats living in the house next door, you'll know. Trust me. Cats don't tend to stay indoors. If you have a house in your neighbourhood where there are 20 cats all living indoors, then congrats. However, they generally don't. Where I used to live, there was a slightly unusual old lady who kept a high number of cats who she could barely keep control of. Yes, the stereotypical crazy cat lady. When I say she couldn't keep control of them, I don't mean that these cats were particularly unruly or anything like that, they were just regular(ish) cats who didn't really respond to being spoken to.

The problem she caused was that these cats would often lounge around her house or the general area. She'd leave food outdoors for them. This food obviously attracts rodents and the like. I don't really recall whether the cats were well looked-after, but you could certainly smell them (and the turds) as you walked past. The kids who played outside generally avoided that house (I was one of them). It's a generally unattractive look.

Saying all this, I mean no disrespect to Yttrium, or to people who own cats - especially those who do so responsibly.

Nobody gives a shit if a parts car is unregistered or uninsured. It only matters if it's being driven.

See I can make things big too!

Good for you. Perhaps you should suggest that this person take their demonstrable proof of the registration and insurance status of every vehicle to their local authorities so they can deal with it. If they're not in California, Arizona, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont...or whatever other states don't require inoperable vehicles on private property to be registered, perhaps something will happen!

So what you're saying is that your rental will never have a mouse/rodent problem.

How exactly would a person looking at your house know there are are 15-20 cats living the house next door?

Going out on a limb here - and I don't mean to be curt - but I'm guessing you haven't lived in a neighbourhood with a crazy cat person. If there are close to 20 cats living in the house next door, you'll know. Trust me. Cats don't tend to stay indoors. If you have a house in your neighbourhood where there are 20 cats all living indoors, then congrats. However, they generally don't. Where I used to live, there was a slightly unusual old lady who kept a high number of cats who she could barely keep control of. Yes, the stereotypical crazy cat lady. When I say she couldn't keep control of them, I don't mean that these cats were particularly unruly or anything like that, they were just regular(ish) cats who didn't really respond to being spoken to.

The problem she caused was that these cats would often lounge around her house or the general area. She'd leave food outdoors for them. This food obviously attracts rodents and the like. I don't really recall whether the cats were well looked-after, but you could certainly smell them (and the turds) as you walked past. The kids who played outside generally avoided that house (I was one of them). It's a generally unattractive look.

Saying all this, I mean no disrespect to Yttrium, or to people who own cats - especially those who do so responsibly.

There was a rodent problem at a house with 20 cats? That's irony if I've ever seen it :P